BIOGRAPHY

Young’s passion for music impressed Stroud right from the start, but he also grew to appreciate his character when Young helped the Stroud’s deliver Christmas gifts to an underprivileged family in a bad part of town. The two forged a friendship that made for a relaxed, comfortable experience in the studio. "He’s watched my songwriting develop and saw me mature as a performer, so when we went into the studio, there wasn’t any of that getting to know you thing," says Young. "James and I were just ready and said ‘Let’s make a great record!’"

And so they did. In the tradition of his heroes, Keith Whitley, Randy Travis and Waylon Jennings, Young crafted an album filled with songs that capture the emotional experiences that make life so rich and meaningful. "The Shoebox," penned by Jeffrey Steele is a poignant treatise on the things that matter most and Young delivers it in a warm, conversational tone that makes it feel like an intimate revelation from an old friend.

"It Takes a Man" is a touching look at young love and unplanned fatherhood with a visual lyric that places the listener in the middle of that life-changing conversation as the rain gently spills down. "Gettin’ You Home," co-written by Young, is a sultry number about a man who only has one thing on his mind while enjoying a romantic night out with his lady.

"That Makes Me" is a raucous anthem penned by Young that finds the strapping artist declaring his unabashed love for country music, old trucks, straight whisky and good old-fashioned values. "Twenty-One Candles" is a driving up-tempo about a girl who knows how to celebrate. On the other end of the spectrum, "The Man I Want to Be" is a vulnerable self-examination that features one of Young’s most compelling vocals.

The Dashboard" tells the story of a young Marine heading off to war and leaving his beloved truck with his brother telling him "If I don’t come back, you can have this Ford, just tape a picture of me on the dashboard." The song ends on a happy note with the Marine coming home but Young’s performance builds the sense of suspense in the lyric and then delivers the emotional punch in the payoff line.

It’s that amazing, resonant voice that brings each song vividly to life. Deep and soulful, Young’s delivery seems almost effortless. Nowhere is that more evident that on his cover of the Tony Joe White hit "Rainy Night in Georgia." They had already finished recording the last song when Stroud suggested Young take a pass at the vintage hit. The band began playing it and Young walked into the studio and began singing. That first take is on the record. "I get chills when I think about it," says Stroud, recalling how Young nailed the song immediately, not even knowing that run through was being recorded. "We mixed the record just like that and it’s one of the most awesome takes that I’ve ever heard. Tony Joe White, he told me, ‘not since I wrote this, have I heard this song done so well by a great singer.’"
Willie was equally effusive in his praise. Stroud recalls Young nervously approaching the legendary artist. "Chris was saying, ‘it’s a pleasure to meet you’ and Willie said, ‘drop that man, come here and let me tell you how good your voice is.’ So they just hit it off. The record is such a good match up of these killer stylists. I believe that Chris is sort of the savior of country music right now because I think our music is great music, but we have lost a little bit of the soulfulness."

Young takes such heady praise in stride with his characteristic self-effacing charm. Like his heroes Keith Whitley and Randy Travis before him, he doesn’t see himself as the savior of country music, just a lucky guy living his dream. "I love playing music," he says. "There’s no way I could do anything else."